Selby's population increased by about 7,000 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.
The population passed 83,000
In the decade to 2011, the population of Selby increased by 9.1%, from almost 76,500 to 83,400.
The addition of just under 7,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).
In 2011, Selby was home to, on average, 0.99 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.
Population density was lower than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber
Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)
- Rest of Yorkshire and The Humber
- Selby
- Average across England
An older Selby
Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.
Between the last two censuses, the median age of Selby increased by three years, from 39 to 42 years.
This area had a higher average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and remained somewhat older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).
The rise in age was because of an increase of about 3,400 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 2,000.
About 13.0% of people in Selby are aged between 60 and 69 years
Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Selby by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Fewer people worked long hours
The percentage of employed people in Selby working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 15.6% to 11.7% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.
The percentage who said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week remained close to 1.6%.
The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 12.6% in 2001 to 9.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13.0% to 10.1%.
Long hour working in Selby decreased by 3.9 percentage points
Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Selby, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Religion in Selby
The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Selby was among those who said they had no religion, rising 11.1 points.
In 2011, 23.2% of respondents in Selby gave this answer to the question on religion, compared with 12.1% of those who answered in 2001.
Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion and described themselves as having no religion increased from 15.3% to 27.8%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.
Of those who disclosed their religion in Selby, 76.0% said they were Christian, compared with 87.4% in 2001. About 0.3% said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism, compared with 0.2% a decade prior.
The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and said they were Buddhist increased from 0.1% to 0.2%.
In Selby, 6.7% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 7.2% in 2001. Across Yorkshire and The Humber, 6.8% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.
Read the full bulletin on religion from Census 2011.The population that said they had no religion in Selby increased by 11 percentage points
Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Selby by religion, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Disability in Selby
The percentage of Selby residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 7.0% to 7.2% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.
The percentage who reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities remained close to 2.8%, while the percentage of Selby residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 90.1% to 89.5%.
The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 7.0% in 2001 to 6.5% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.
The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber
Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Rise in private renting
The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Selby, but at a slower rate than in Doncaster (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Selby).
In Selby, the proportion of private renting increased from 5.8% in 2001 to 11.0% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Doncaster increased from 6.6% to 14.8%.
Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of privately rented homes increased from 9.1% to 15.9%.
The rate of social housing in Selby fell from 13.4% to 12.0%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 78.2% to 75.0%.
Private renting in Selby increased by 5.2 percentage points
Percentage of households in Selby, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
More single people in Selby
The percentage of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased here, but at a slower rate than in nearby Doncaster.
In Selby, the proportion of single people increased from 22.7% in 2001 to 26.6% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Doncaster increased from 25.8% to 32.2%.
Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased from 28.6% to 33.9%.
The proportion of married people in Selby fell from 59.8% to 55.5%, while the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner increased from 9.8% to 11.3%.
The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber
Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011
- Rest of Yorkshire and The Humber
- Selby
- Average across England
Health improved
The percentage of Selby residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 8.0% to 4.6% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.
Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.
In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (82.7%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 70.5% in 2001. The percentage of Selby residents that described their health as fair decreased from 21.5% to 12.8%.
The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10.3% in 2001 to 6.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.
These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.
The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Selby decreased by 3.4 percentage points
Percentage of usual residents in Selby, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
More homes without children
The percentage of households without children increased in Selby at a faster rate than across England.
In Selby, the proportion of households without children increased from 58.1% in 2001 to 60.5% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion across England increased from 61.1% to 61.2%.
Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of households without children increased from 60.8% to 62.0%.
The proportion of households with children in Selby fell from 31.9% to 29.4%, while the proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents remained close to 10.1%.
The proportion of households without children was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber
Percentage of households without children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011
- Rest of Yorkshire and The Humber
- Selby
- Average across England
More people cohabiting
The percentage of households in Selby, which comprised a cohabiting couple, increased from 8.6% to 11.0% between the last two censuses.
In 2011, just under one in four (24.7%) households had only one person, compared with 23.8% in 2001. The percentage of households in Selby which comprised a married couple (with or without children) decreased from 47.1% to 42.4%.
The proportion of households with an unmarried couple increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 8.7% in 2001 to 10.7% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.3% to 9.9%.
The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Selby increased by 2.3 percentage points
Percentage of households in Selby, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that had an unmarried couple, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Changing work life
The percentage of Selby residents that were self-employed increased from 9.3% to 10.4% in the decade to 2011.
In 2011, just under 6 in 10 (57.6%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 57.4% in 2001. The percentage of Selby residents that were unemployed increased from 2.5% to 3.5%.
The proportion of self-employed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 7.2% in 2001 to 8.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.2% to 9.7%.
The rate of self-employment was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber
Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were self-employed across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011
- Rest of Yorkshire and The Humber
- Selby
- Average across England
Ethnicity in Selby
In 2011, 98.4% of Selby residents said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, making it the most common ethnicity in this local authority area. The population from these groups has increased from 99.3% in 2001.
Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from one of the White ethnic groups fell from 93.5% to 88.8%, while across England the percentage went from 90.7% to 85.1%.
Around 0.8% of people in Selby said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.3% in 2001. About 0.6% said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, compared with 0.3% a decade prior.
The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.1% to 0.3%.
Read the full bulletin on ethnicity from Census 2011.The population from one of the White ethnic groups in Selby remained close to 98.4%
Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Selby by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Change in unpaid care provision
The percentage of Selby residents that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.8% to 2.1% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.
The percentage who reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 1.0%.
The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 2.3% in 2001 to 2.6% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.1% to 2.4%.
The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Selby remained close to 2.1%
Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Selby by care, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Area report data
Dataset one title
Dataset | 31 January 2022
This is a description of the dataset.
Dataset two title
Dataset | 16 January 2022
This is a description of the dataset.
Related links
Article one title
Article | 31 January 2022
This is a description of the article.
Article two title
Article | 16 January 2022
This is a description of the article.